The Thunder Rolls
by Brambleshadow of WindClan
Summary: Sognfic. Leafpool and Crowfeather have started meeting in secret again, behind Nightcloud's back. When she finds out . . . it's not going to be pretty.
1. Chapter 1

**The song used is "The Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks. I've decided to revise this, so thanks to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted this story. As near as I can tell, this takes place in mid-Omen of the Stars.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter and the song belongs to Garth Brooks. I just borrowed them and messed around with them.**

**Warning: Character death.**

* * *

CHAPTER 1

_Three thirty in the morning  
Not a soul in sight  
The city's lookin' like a ghost town  
On a moonless summer night  
Raindrops on the windshield  
There's a storm moving in  
He's headin' back from somewhere  
That he never should've been  
And the thunder rolls  
And the thunder rolls_

Crowfeather trotted back to the WindClan camp. The sky had darkened, and there were storm clouds coming in, obscuring the crescent moon. Rain started pouring down. _I can't go on like this. I shouldn't even be meeting her! If Nightcloud finds out…_

The dark gray tom shook his head, trying to clear it. He couldn't get Leafpool out of his head. The memory of a half-moon ago kept coming back to him:

It had been the night of the Gathering. He had been there, along with Kestrelflight, Owlwhisker, Boulderpaw, Breezepelt's apprentice, and Breezepelt. He had spotted Leafpool there, along with Jayfeather, ThunderClan's medicine cat since Leafpool had become a warrior. Mistystar, RiverClan's new leader since the previous leader Leopardstar had died of sickness a few days ago, had just finished her report, when he felt a tail-tip brush his shoulder. He turned to see Leafpool by his side.

"I have to talk to you," she whispered, jerking her head to the shadow of some bushes nearby. Crowfeather followed her and lay down with his paws tucked under his chest, waiting for her to speak.

"Crowfeather, I can't get you out of my head. I know you didn't mean what you said at the Gathering where Hollyleaf told all four Clans about us. Will you meet me on the border?"

Crowfeather hesitated, then replied, "Yes. I will."

Crowfeather shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory. They had been meeting every night since that Gathering, and so far no cat in WindClan suspected anything.

_Every light is burnin'  
In a house across town  
She's pacin' by the telephone  
In her faded flannel gown  
Askin' for a miracle  
Hopin' she's not right  
Prayin' it's the weather  
That's kept him out all night  
And the thunder rolls  
And the thunder rolls_

Nightcloud was wide awake in the WindClan camp. Her mate had said he was going out for some night hunting, but if that was the case, then why was he taking so long? The black she-cat paced in front of the warriors' den, rain pouring down and slicking her pelt to her frame. She hoped it was the weather keeping him out. Maybe he was sheltering under a bush or something.

_The thunder rolls  
And the lightnin' strikes  
Another love grows cold  
On a sleepless night  
As the storm goes on  
Out of control  
Deep in her heart  
The thunder rolls_

Leafpool crept back to the ThunderClan camp and curled up in her nest in the warriors' den. As she closed her eyes, reliving her memory of meeting Crowfeather, she had no idea of what was happening over in WindClan. . . .

_She's waitin' by the window  
When he pulls into the drive  
She rushes out to hold him  
Thankful he's alive  
But on the wind and rain  
A strange new perfume blows  
And the lightnin' flashes in her eyes  
And he knows that she knows  
And the thunder rolls  
And the thunder rolls_

Crowfeather padded into the WindClan camp to find Nightcloud waiting for him. The black she-cat raced over to him from the warriors' den.

"_Crowfeather!" _she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're home. What was taking you so long?" Crowfeather tensed as she sniffed his pelt. _Mouse dung! I'm in for it now; she's going to figure it out any moment._

Nightcloud's green eyes widened in horror, but from what Crowfeather didn't know. He suddenly realized that she had detected Leafpool's scent on his coat.

"Crowfeather. . ." she whispered, horror-struck. Then Crowfeather saw her grow angry. "You've been meeting her." It wasn't a question.

_The thunder rolls  
And the lightnin' strikes  
Another love grows cold  
On a sleepless night  
As the storm goes on  
Out of control  
Deep in her heart  
The thunder rolls_

"Nightcloud, please!"

"You've never loved me! You used me!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is! Don't try to deny it!"

_She runs back down the hallway  
And through the bedroom door  
She reaches for the pistol  
Kept in the dresser drawer  
Tells the lady in the mirror  
He won't do this again  
'Cause tonight will be the last time  
She'll wonder where he's been_

Nightcloud unsheathed her claws and bared her teeth in a snarl at her mate. _He won't do this again. In fact, this will be the last night I'll wonder where he's been._

"Traitor!" she yowled, springing at Crowfeather.

_The thunder rolls  
And the lightnin' strikes  
Another love grows cold, darlin'  
On a sleepless night  
As the storm goes on  
Out of control  
Deep in her heart  
The thunder rolls_

Crowfeather sidestepped and raked his claws through the fur on the black she-cat's side, his dark gray fur bristling and his blue eyes wide with alarm.

"Nightcloud, what do you think you're doing?" he yowled.

"What's it look like, mousebrain?"

Nightcloud lunged again, aiming for his throat. Crowfeather dived beneath her, turned, and raked his hind claws along her belly fur.

Nightcloud screeched in pain. Crowfeather was surprised the rest of the Clan didn't hear them fighting and come rushing to see what the problem was. Nightcloud gave him a dizzying clout to the head, knocking him to the ground. Crowfeather struggled to get to his feet as she loomed over him, green eyes glinting with a murderous fury.

"You should never have been meeting her," he heard Nightcloud say.

Then everything went black.

...

"Onestar! Onestar!"

Nightcloud was roused from her nest in the warriors' den by the voice of Emberfoot. She followed the rest of the Clan out into the center of camp. Onestar, the lithe brown tabby who led WindClan, had appeared from his den and padded over to the gray tom and the rest of the dawn patrol.

"For StarClan's sake, what is it?" he grumbled.

"You might want to see this for yourself," Antpelt meowed.

Onestar immediately perked up. "Ashfoot, Nightcloud, Sunstrike. You're with me." He turned to Emberfoot. "Lead the way." Emberfoot turned and raced out of camp, hardly waiting for the rest of them to catch up. Once out of camp, he headed towards the ThunderClan border. Foreboding raced through Nightcloud as Ashfoot let out a yowl of dismay and sped up.

Nightcloud pushed her paws to move faster. As a result, she almost ran over Ashfoot and Onestar when they skidded to a halt at the border stream.

"Who is it?" she asked, knowing full well who it was.

Sunstrike swallowed and gulped as Onestar meowed, "It's Crowfeather."

...

The WindClan camp was swarming with cats asking questions when the patrol came back with Crowfeather's body. Kestrelflight, the WindClan medicine cat, greeted them; then he saw what they were carrying.

"What happened?" he gasped.

"We found him near the ThunderClan border," Ashfoot told him dully. "It looks like he drowned."

"That's terrible," Heathertail meowed, coming up behind the medicine cat and shuddering as she heard the news.

"Come on," Kestrelflight mewed, flicking his tail. "Let's prepare him so the Clan can sit vigil."

The group laid the dark gray tom near the entrance to the medicine cat den, where Kestrelflight began preparing his body, smoothing down the fur. As he did, he noticed that there were several wounds on the dark gray warrior's pelt. When he worked his way to the neck fur, he saw a gash in Crowfeather's neck.

It didn't look like the result of a cat drowning. This looked more like a clean wound that a hunting warrior would make on a piece of prey.

With a slash of claws.

"Onestar, Ashfoot!" he hissed.

The Clan leader and his deputy padded over.

"What is it?" Onestar asked.

"Look."

They looked.

"Oh my StarClan," Ashfoot gasped.

"He didn't drown," Kestrelflight mewed softly. "He was murdered."

"ThunderClan?" Ashfoot meowed sharply. "We found him right on the border."

"True," Onestar meowed slowly. "And there are a few ThunderClan cats—not to mention WindClan—who would want to punish him for, well, you know."

"If you mean fathering those three ThunderClan kits with their medicine cat, then yes, there would be," Ashfoot conceded.

Onestar nodded, then leaped onto Tallrock, yowling the familiar summons. "Cats of WindClan," he mewed. "We have learned more about Crowfeather's death. He didn't drown. He was murdered."

"ThunderClan did it!" Breezepelt yowled. "He was found on the border!"

"Possibly. We'll sit vigil for him at nightfall, but I want to lead a patrol to ThunderClan to see if they know anything about this."

"Of course they know about it!" Boulderpaw yowled. "They did it!" The large pale gray apprentice was sitting near his mentor, Breezepelt.

"It can't hurt to check," Whitetail told him.

Onestar leaped down from Tallrock, showing the meeting was over, and started choosing cats to go with him. "Ashfoot, Nightcloud, Breezepelt, Leaftail, Harespring. Come on."

The patrol followed him out of camp. When they reached the ThunderClan border, Onestar crossed the stream without hesitation, forging deeper into ThunderClan territory.

Suddenly they were surrounded by a ThunderClan patrol: Cloudtail, Brackenfur, Bumplestripe, and Dustpelt. Leaftail and Harespring bristled, but at a warning glance from Ashfoot they let their fur lie flat.

"What are you doing here?" Bumplestripe snarled.

"We have to talk to Firestar," Onestar meowed.

The patrol exchanged glances, then Brackenfur meowed, "Come on. Let's get this over with." He flicked his tail at the WindClan cats, motioning for them to follow him.

...

When they reached the ThunderClan camp, they were met by curious stares. Bumplestripe went ahead, yowling, "They want to see Firestar."

"Firestar?"

"Why?"

There was a splash of flame against the blue-gray rock as Firestar padded out of his den and leaped down to confront the WindClan patrol.

"Well, Onestar?" The ThunderClan leader's voice was cooly polite. "What are you doing here?"

"One of our warriors was found dead in the border stream this morning. We later found out he was murdered."

Yowls of outrage came from the ThunderClan cats. Well, from all but Leafpool, who was staring in horror.

Firestar gritted his teeth. "Who was it?"

"Crowfeather."

"Nooo!" Leafpool wailed before she slapped her mouth shut with her own tail. Her eyes grew round as every cat turned to stare at her.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

_"Leafpool," Firestar meowed, "do you know_ anything about this?"

"No," Leafpool mewed quickly, removing her tail from her mouth.

Sandstorm sniffed disbelievingly and twitched her tail. Every other cat in the clearing was still staring at Leafpool. Then Nightcloud mewed, "Yes she does!" The black she-cat was staring at Leafpool with hostility glittering in her eyes.

Onestar and Firestar turned to Nightcloud. "What do you mean?" they asked at the same time.

"Her scent was on Crowfeather's pelt," the black warrior explained, the tip of her tail moving back and forth. She looked like a cat who had stumbled on a particularly juicy piece of prey.

_How would she know?_ Leafpool thought. _Unless... Oh, great StarClan! She knows!_

Onestar echoed her thoughts. "How would you know?" the brown tabby tom mewed.

"I, uh, saw him just outside of camp when he came back from hunting. The thing is, he didn't smell of fresh-kill. He had ThunderClan scent on his pelt."

The ThunderClan cats hissed and spat, bristling their fur. All except Leafpool, that is. She was trying hard not to look guilty. Firestar remained calm, though his neck fur was starting to fluff up. He mewed, "ThunderClan scent. You're sure?"

"I know ThunderClan scent when I smell it!"

"Then whose scent was it?" Onestar meowed.

Nightcloud swung her tail around to point at Leafpool. "Hers!"

Every cat was stunned, and one or two let out a shocked yowl. Sandstorm and Squirrelflight darted to her side. "Tell me it isn't true," Sandstorm demanded. Leafpool scuffed the earth with a forepaw and couldn't meet her mother's and littermate's eyes. Finally she muttered, "It's true." She was still looking at the ground, but hesitantly raised her head to see her mother's reaction. Sandstorm's green eyes grew round with dismay and betrayal.

The other cats looked even more stunned. Well, all the cats except for Nightcloud. She had a gleam of triumph in her green eyes and her teeth were bared in a wordless snarl.

Finally, Firestar seemed to find his tongue. He stalked over to Leafpool. "I thought you were over him." He was furious.

Nightcloud couldn't help adding, "There's more."

Every cat turned to look at her. How could there possibly be more?

You could hear a feather drop as Nightcloud mewed, "She's going to have kits."


	3. Chapter 3

**I kinda got off track on that last bit, didn't I?**

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CHAPTER 3

_Every cat's mouth hung open in_ shock. Finally the silence was broken by Jayfeather.

"Oh for StarClan's sake!" the blind gray tabby tom hissed. "Don't act so surprised! She's a warrior now, so it isn't _as_ forbidden."

"But it's still forbidden," Graystripe pointed out dryly.

"Be that as it may, we need to get back on the matter at hand here," Firestar meowed before Jayfeather could; the medicine cat had opened his jaws for a bitter and sarcastic retort. The flame-colored tom looked a little disconcerted at Nightcloud's news, but focused on the reason the WindClan cats were in his camp.

"Nightcloud, how could you know Leafpool was with him unless you were with Crowfeather before he died?"

_Fox dung!_ Nightcloud thought. _How could I have been so stupid?_

"Yes, that's what I'd like to know too," Onestar meowed, giving her a piercing look.

Nightcloud racked her brain, searching for a reply. She noticed Leafpool shooting her a dirty look.

The pale warrior slipped over to Jayfeather and murmured, "She knows something. Search her memories and find out what it is."

Jayfeather took a breath and stepped into the black WindClan she-cat's mind.

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**A/N: About what Graystripe said, it's kinda ironic, isn't it? Seeing as Graystripe fell in love with a RiverClan cat and then a kittypet. R.I.P Silverstream. DIE Millie! I'm being totally random right now, but who else here thinks Graystripe is being disloyal to Silverstream by falling in love with a _kittypet_?**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

_Nightcloud was meowing, "I told you_ before, I saw him when he came back from supposedly hunting," when she felt something in her mind. She didn't think anything of it, though, and waited for the Clan leaders' response.

As soon as Jayfeather stepped into Nightcloud's mind, he was met with a memory of last night. The black WindClan warrior had been waiting for Crowfeather to return from "hunting." He saw her run over to her mate, sniff his pelt, and felt her anger as she realized he had been seeing Leafpool.

"You've been meeting her."

"Nightcloud, please!" Crowfeather mewed as she hissed at him and bared her teeth.

"You've never loved me! You used me!"

"That's not true!"

"Yes it is! Don't try to deny it!"

Jayfeather watched as Nightcloud unsheathed her claws, bared her teeth in a snarl, and leaped at Crowfeather, yowling, "Traitor!"

Crowfeather and Nightcloud fought bitterly, Crowfeather asking his mate what she was doing, while Nightcloud retorted, "What's it look like, mousebrain?"

Suddenly, Nightcloud gave Crowfeather a heavy kick to the head that sent Crowfeather sprawling. He struggled to get to his paws as the black she-cat loomed over him, her tail lashing and murderous fury rolling off of her in waves. Jayfeather heard her meow softly, "You should never have been meeting her." With that, she scored her claws across the dark gray fur on his neck. Crowfeather hung limply in her jaws as she dragged him along the lakeshore to the ThunderClan border, finally dumping him in the stream. The black she-cat washed her paws in the water as Crowfeather's body floated downstream.

Suddenly the familiar night of his blindness swallowed his vision. Jayfeather gasped in shock and murmured in Leafpool's ear, "She did it."

Leafpool's fur stood on end. "You're sure?"

Jayfeather looked at her scornfully. "Of course I'm sure!"

The pale warrior stood up and meowed, "Firestar, Onestar, can I see you for a moment? Jayfeather, you come too."

"Sure, you can see us. Come to my den," Firestar meowed. "But why does our medicine cat have to come?"

"You'll see."

Onestar sighed once they were in the ThunderClan leader's den. "Let's just get this over with. I want to get home, and I'm sure my warriors do too."

"Okay, Onestar." Leafpool flicked her tail at Jayfeather.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

_Jayfeather meowed, "I know who killed_ Crowfeather."

The Clan leaders stared at him. Finally Firestar meowed, "How do you know?"

"Yes, how?" Onestar agreed.

"I, uh, I had a vision," Jayfeather meowed. Leafpool could see his fur pricking with discomfort.

"Well, spit it out!" Firestar snapped.

"Okay! Geez," Jayfeather grumbled. Then he continued, "It was night. I could see Crowfeather coming back to the camp. It was raining, but just barely. Nightcloud was waiting for him. I saw her greet him; then she realized where he had been. They argued, then Nightcloud attacked him. . . ."

When he had finished, Onestar and Firestar were speechless.

"Oh, and while we're at it, I thought you might like to know that Hollyleaf killed Ashfur."

Firestar started. "Oh, _now_ you tell me," he meowed sarcastically. "I thought she died, though?"

Leafpool interrupted, "Well, since you know who killed Crowfeather, deal with Nightcloud. And Onestar—"

"Yes?"

"Get your tail out of ThunderClan territory!"

"All right!" As he left, Leafpool heard him mutter to Firestar, "Who knew former medicine cats could be so bossy?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's the final chapter of _The Thunder Rolls. _To self (and to readers): Nightcloud is sooo going to pay. *evil laugh***

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CHAPTER 6

"_Come on!" Onestar yowled to his_ warriors as he bounded down from Highledge, Leafpool, Firestar, and Jayfeather watching from the ThunderClan leader's cave.

_She is so going to get what she deserves_, Leafpool thought, lashing her tail.

"Jayfeather," she whispered.

"What?" The ThunderClan medicine cat turned his blind blue gaze on her.

"I was wondering if you could see what is happening in the WindClan camp."

He shook his head. "I can't. I'm blind, remember? But I know someone who can."

"Huh?" Leafpool was confused.

"Just wait here." The blind gray tabby tom disappeared, then reappeared a few heartbeats later with Dovepaw.

"What does Dovepaw have to do with this?"

"You'll see."

…

Meanwhile, in the WindClan camp, Onestar rounded on Nightcloud.

"What in StarClan's name were you thinking?" he snarled.

"In case you weren't listening," Nightcloud began hotly, "he was seeing her behind my back! We were mates! I had to do something about it."

"That still doesn't mean what you did was right. I'm sorry, Nightcloud, but—" He paused. Nightcloud didn't like where this was heading. "—exile is the only punishment for your crimes. Get out of our territory. If not . . ." The threat hung unspoken in the air. Nodding, Nightcloud turned and padded out of camp without looking back.

…

Back in the ThunderClan camp, Dovepaw finished reporting what she had just seen, leaving Leafpool and Firestar staring at her dumbfounded.

_How in the name of StarClan does she know what's going on in WindClan territory without ever leaving the camp?_ Leafpool thought. It seemed Jayfeather had read her mind, since he mewed weakly, "Any chance you'll believe it's a vision from StarClan?"

"No," the tabby she-cat meowed bluntly.

Suddenly, Jayfeather blurted, "Firestar knows how she knows!" As soon as the words escaped him, he clamped his mouth shut, his blue eyes wide in horror. _Now I've done it. Call yourself a medicine cat?_ he asked himself savagely.

Luckily, no other cat noticed his slip-up. They were too busy trying to figure out how Dovepaw knew. Finally, Firestar shrugged. "Let's just say it was a sign from StarClan for now. Besides, we don't have to worry about Nightcloud anymore, seeing as she's been driven out of her Clan."

"Hey, _I _might have to worry about her!" Leafpool meowed hotly. "What if she comes here and tries to murder me?"

Firestar laid his tail across his daughter's shoulder. "That won't happen. The Clan will protect you; you know that."

She lashed her tail and rose to her paws. "I'm going hunting," she announced, brushing past her father, son, and Dovepaw.

"Just take another warrior with you!" Firestar called after her.

Leafpool only flicked her ears to show that she'd heard. Quietly, she called Squirrelflight over to her. Her sister bounded over, green eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"What is it?" the ginger warrior asked.

"I'm going hunting. You want to come?"

"Sure. I have nothing else to do, and the fresh-kill pile needs stocking up."

…

The two she-cats had already caught a good amount of fresh-kill when Leafpool scented another cat close by. When she tasted the air, the musky scent of WindClan bathed her tongue. _Nightcloud!_

A low growl rumbled through the air; then the ThunderClan warrior was blindsided by a black blur. Leafpool battered with her hind paws at Nightcloud's belly, and finally managed to thrust the black she-cat off.

Nightcloud's green eyes glinted with fury. Snarling, she leaped again for the light brown tabby, claws unsheathed.

"Squirrelflight, help!" Leafpool yowled, sidestepping and raking her claws down the rogue's side. The former WindClan warrior rose on her hind paws, claws slashing for Leafpool's face. With a well-aimed blow, she knocked Leafpool on her side and pounced, teeth snapping at the tabby queen's throat.

Suddenly, Nightcloud's weight vanished. Leafpool coughed, trying to catch her breath, and blinked in surprise when she saw a familiar flame-colored she-cat battling the furious black she-cat.

"Squirrelflight?"

"I came as soon as I heard," her sister panted, sinking her claws into Nightcloud's neck. The rogue battered with her hind paws, but her blows steadily grew weaker. Finally, she stopped moving altogether.

The ginger warrior released her claws from Nightcloud's body and stepped back. Breathing heavily, her emerald-colored eyes met Leafpool's amber ones. "Glad that's over," Squirrelflight joked. She flicked her bushy tail at her sister and mewed, "Come on. We still have to bring our fresh-kill back to the Clan."

Before they entered the ThunderClan camp, Leafpool paused. Squirrelflight stopped and looked back quizzically. "What?"

"Thanks for saving my tail back there. She would have killed me if she could have."

Thank StarClan, she understood. Letting her pelt brush Leafpool's, Squirrelflight meowed, "At least peace has come for a few moons."

"Yeah, I guess." _But how long will it last?_


End file.
